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News Release - Manitoba

MANITOBA CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM

– – –First Provincial Nominee Program in Canada has Attracted more than 130,000 Immigrants to Manitoba since 1998: Goertzen

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) celebrated its 20th anniversary today with a ceremony attended by Education and Training Minister Kelvin Goertzen, former premier Gary Filmon, past nominees, the business community and other stakeholders.

“The provincial nominee program has proven to be Manitoba’s most effective tool to attract economic immigrants to the province,” said Goertzen. “Recruiting and settling skilled immigrants grows our economy and adds to our diversity. We are proud of the pioneers who developed this program, and the team effort of all the agencies and organizations to ensure the long-term success of nominees and communities.”

The MPNP is an economic immigration program designed to attract job-ready skilled workers and active investors to Manitoba and nominate them for permanent residence. It has recruited more than 130,000 nominees to the province through streams for skilled workers overseas and in Manitoba, business investors and international students.

“The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program has been one of the most successful public policy decisions in decades,” said Filmon. “It has enriched our province’s diversity while strengthening our economy.”

The program began with small pilot projects in the mid-1990s under the Filmon government to address labour market needs through immigration. Manitoba signed the Canada Manitoba Immigration Agreement on June 29, 1998, for shared responsibility and co-operation between the federal and provincial governments, which made Manitoba the first province to create a provincial nominee program and created a model later used by other jurisdictions.

MPNP remains the primary pathway for newcomers to Manitoba, with more than 65 per cent of immigrants coming through the program, Goertzen noted. Over the past decade, more than 38,000 nominees have arrived from the Philippines, more than 21,000 from India, more than 10,000 from China and hundreds of others from Germany, Israel, Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ukraine and other countries.

“The MPNP has helped me and my family begin a new chapter in our lives and through the support of the local community and agencies like Manitoba Start, my family and I have been able to reach our full potential,” said Elaine Verri, a nominee from the Philippines who arrived in Manitoba in 2014. “I hope that this program continues to offer other families the same opportunity to start a new life in Manitoba.”

Goertzen noted that more than 90 per cent of past nominees found jobs within their first year and approximately the same amount chose to stay in Manitoba. More than 28,000 nominees have settled in at least 130 rural communities and the program is credited for the growth of cities such as Morden, Neepawa, Steinbach and Winkler.

“MPNP has been, and continues to be, a considerable asset in building SkipTheDishes’ world-class team here in Winnipeg,” said Chris Simair, CEO of SkipTheDishes. “Through this program, Skip has recruited exceptional international talent for in-demand tech roles. By bringing in specialized senior talent, we are able to continue to scale our business and hire more Canadians for additional roles across the organization.”

Provincial data shows nominees who entered through the business streams have invested more than $308 million into Manitoba’s economy.

In 2016, the government improved its service standards to eliminate of a backlog of 5,100 applications and process complete applications within six months. It announced changes to improve MPNP outcomes that include partnerships with post-secondary institutions and industry, and reinvestment of application fee revenues into newcomer training and settlement services.

Information about immigration to Manitoba and the MPNP is available at www.immigratemanitoba.com and includes a regularly updated list of in-demand occupations.

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For more information:

Public information, contact Manitoba Government Inquiry: 1-866-626-4862 or 204-945-3744.